Orange County Register

The Laguna Playhouse marked its 89th anniversary Thursday afternoon with a very special occasion: a visit by Ann Rutherford, one of the last surviving members of the cast from the film “Gone With the Wind.”

Rutherford, who turns 89 on November 2, was on hand  to see “Moonlight and Magnolias,” Ron Hutchinson’s play about the famous marathon writing session that gave “Gone With the Wind” a workable script when unsatisfied producer David O. Selznick shut down the production only days after shooting began.

After ”Moonlight and Magnolias” ended, Rutherford sat on the stage with the cast and Laguna Playhouse artistic director Andrew Barnicle to answer questions from the audience.

Some excerpts:

On discovering a rare fragment of the “Gone With the Wind” script decades later in her aunt’s papers: I found four Andy Hardy scripts, “A Christmas Carol,” and an envelope with a flat script in it. I opened the envelope and pulled something out and took a look at it.  I thought, “It’s happened — my mind is gone. I’m looking at something that doesn’t exist.” My name was on the top of the script. Then I counted the pages: 37. It was the first 37 pages of “Gone With the Wind.” As far as I know, everybody else had thrown theirs away. We didnt realize that 70 years later … I’d let myself be propped out and wheeled out in front of you to talk about “Gone With the Wind.”

On finding out she would be cast as Scarlet’s sister, Carreen, in “Gone With the Wind”: Mr. Mayer of MGM called me and said, “I wanted to be the one to tell you. My son-in-law (David O. Selznick) has been wanting to borrow you for a movie. It’s a nothing part and we can’t let you do it. It has something to do with the Civil War and slaves.” I said, “‘Gone With the Wind’? I’ve read the book twice. Oh pleeeease, I’ll do anything — I’ll open the gate, I’ll hold the horses, anything.” When he said no, I burst out crying. He was known to be very emotional. Just to shut me up he said, “Oh, get in your car and drive over to David’s studio.”

This role turned my golden years into platinum. I have had the best trips. I have gone to Paris, London, so many cities in the U.S. for “Gone With the Wind.” It has become like an entity or a person.

On working with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh: Oh, I never wanted to go home. Even when I wasn’t working that day I would make an excuse then slip over to the set and sit there and watch the book come to life. It was the most perfectly cast production I have ever seen, from Butterfly McQueen right on through. The rottener (the characters) were the better they were cast.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.